Pakistanis can now get breaking news via any mobile

SHOWING JUST how innovative some mobile operators can be, Pakistan's Ufone has put together a news service with the UK's own Rok Entertainment group.

The beauty of the Ufone Video News service is that you don't need a fancy 3G phone and the mobile internet to receive it. The service utilises existing technology such as GPRS (2.5G) and MMS (picture messaging).

In return for Rs 50 per month (plus tax), subscribers will receive at least three news video clips per day plus the occasional 'breaking news' clip. The service covers both general news and sport.

Each clip lasts about 60 seconds and can be viewed on any phone that supports MMS – the established standard for picture messaging. Which is most phones these days. There's no charge for receiving the actual MMS itself.

Ufone's service is based on Rok's service for operatorswhich it calls News on Demand (NOD). This in turn actually takes advantage of Rok's existing mobile TV expertise.

The INQ's has discovered that readers in the UK or Pakistan who want a taster of how NOD works by going online.

The link is here. However, be very careful how you enter your details because you don't get a second try.

To subscribe to the service as a Ufone subscriber just text the word 'news, to the shortcode 2478. µ